Often times coaches and even players may be misunderstood in terms of how much effort they actually do put into Fall’s Friday night lights. While the community may see only a bit of the conditioning and preparation, those who spend their time inside the field house know otherwise. High school coaches often put in much more than the required amount of work and still feel there’s never enough time in the day. Coach Josh Smalley, of Orangefield, easily puts how demanding their job is into a simple statement, “It’s an all year thing. Whenever you play your last game, you start off season that next day so you’re really preparing for the next season as soon as that one ends. It’s a year round gig. It’s not something that you really take time off from. You’re constantly preparing for it everyday.”
This year round aspect can be seen in the coaches’ daily choices as well as summer plans. Coach Thompson shows this with his summer vacation plans as he and his wife take their annual June trip to a week long football clinic in San Angelo, TX. “We’ve watched the city grow” he says. “I’ve been taking her out there since 1978 and I can’t imagine missing it. It gives us an opportunity to get away as well as a way for me to better myself as a coach along with anywhere from 2,000 to 2,200 other coaches.” When asked about his “real” vacation time Thompson laughingly responds with, “Vacation? I’ll take that when I retire.” As for Smalley, his summer plans consist of a Bobcat coaches’ retreat and coaching school. He says that these things aid in building a relationship that is necessary for them to have as a staff. “We’re with each other a bunch and we see each other under stress. You know, we may not always agree with each other but we need to have that kind of bond where we do have each other’s backs. Doing things in the summer helps us build those relationships.” Thompson adds to this emphasis on coaching relationships with, “That time, from August to December, we spend more time together as coaches than we do with our own families.”
While the coaches are constantly working, it’s clear that the players are held to certain expectations and standards also. “I tell them” says Thompson, “get all your vacations done by August 7th, because I’m not going to be understanding if it comes that time and they’re not ready to go.” These coaches are aware that they’re asking for time from the kids, but also know that if they give it to them, they can help make them great. “It’s a sacrifice the kids make, says Smalley, but if they’re willing to make it, then we are more than willing to be here.”
Coach Thompson makes one thing clear, “If they’re gonna play in Mustang land, they better show back up in shape. They have to continue to workout during the summer weeks.” Being conditioned is at the top of these coach’s priority list. Thompson attributes the Mustangs back to back state championships to conditioning and he leaves no room for argument in letting his kids know, “If we lose this first game, it won’t be because we’re not conditioned. If we lose, we’ll lose because they were better than we were, not because we aren’t prepared to go all four quarters. Conditioning will not be a factor, we will be in the best possible shape we can be in at that time.” It’s apparent that if these players aren’t prepared when they return, it will set the coaches’ whole process back. When talking about the kids needing to workout over the summer Thompson says, “There’s no negotiation. It’s pay me now or pay me later, but if you haven’t done it, I’ll get it out of you when we get back in August, but that takes time.” Aside from understanding the necessity of teamwork, Smalley denotes staying hydrated and in shape as the number one thing he stresses to his kids as they leave for the summer. “I worry everyday,” he says, “you see things on TV and read the papers about kids dying of heat stroke, or having a heat related illness and you just pray to God that it doesn’t happen here. You try to prepare them, you try to keep things safe, but you’ve also got a job to do – to work on them and to make it as tough as you can so that they’ll be ready for whatever is thrown their way during the season.”
Coach Thompson adds to this feeling of anxiety that comes over coaches as their players leave for the summer with the statement, “I have way more anxiety during the summer, because I don’t see them every day. If my players are going away, I will call and find them. We’ve had kids workout all over the state of Texas, because us coaches work together to find them a place to get better. If I go two or three days without seeing them or knowing where they’re at, I’m gonna call. I keep up with them like they’re my own kids. I tell them, I’m concerned with you and where you’re at and your well being aside from you being a football player.” This type of concern all leads back to the coaches being worried about the kids both keeping themselves safe, as well as preparing for the upcoming season on their own. Coach Smalley puts this feeling into perspective when saying, “We see them almost everyday for most of the school year, and then they’re gone. It sounds crazy, but it’s a little odd knowing that they won’t always be around to keep tabs on. That’s why it’s so nice to see the athletes out here during summer workouts. Not only are they getting better, but they’re also kind of calming my nerves too.”
It’s not all just workouts and conditioning though explains Thompson, “People really underestimate how much paperwork and certifications coaches have to go through as well as how much time it all takes.” The list of things these coaches have to take care of start with things such as paper work, certifications, CPR and concussion training, the rules compliance program, summer workouts, locker and equipment management, laundry and uniforms, scrimmages, depth charts, camps, and getting new coaches ready in their classrooms, but it doesn’t end there. As if these responsibilities aren’t enough, these coaches also have to worry about keeping themselves in shape for the upcoming season. Coach Smalley says, “You come by some afternoons and you’ll see our coaches out on the track running. Some people may not realize this, but it’s not just the kids getting into shape, we have to be ready for it too. We as coaches have to get our bodies into shape, stay hydrated, and get used to the heat.”
At the end of the day though, all of the extra time spent is well worth it to these coaches. “The hard work does pay off,” says Thompson, “come our first Friday night I wanna walk out there with my arms folded and stand over on the side lines and watch a great game because we’ve put our work in. That all starts in the off-season and is made in the summer.” The bottom line is, these coaches put time into these kids to build them as both athletes and young men. Thompson says, “I love the off-season program. I always watch and ask myself, physically, mentally, and just as a whole, has that athlete gotten better from the time I started with them?” Smalley agrees, and explains what makes it all worth the while, “You get to build meaningful relationships with these young people that you hope will go beyond athletics. You try to help them grow to be the best citizens they’re going to be. Those are the things that are important to me. You know, winning is great and that’s what we try to do – that’s what we prepare for, but in the grand scheme of life these kids need to know how to face adversity and push through hard times. That’s the most enjoyable part for me, the interaction with the kids. The day I hang it up, that will be what I miss the most.”
Both coaches agree that there’s something special about being in Southeast Texas that makes putting in the extra work, a little easier. For Thompson, it’s the passion that the kids put into the game. He shows this in his statement, “Athletes, that’s what makes it special here, the players and the desire to be the best they can. A lot of these young men have big aspirations. I’ve been to other schools where that desire does not occur. All they’re doing is going through the motions. They wanna make the football team and that’s good enough for them, but not these guys. What you have here is high expectations, and that’s a big deal.” For Smalley, the kids and his background make his job great. “This is my home, and anytime you get to coach where you’re from is special. Southeast Texas is a great place to coach and that’s because of the players and what they give us. They make it all worth it.”
One thing that is for sure is how proud these coaches are of their players, whether it’s during season or during the summer. If there’s one thing the coaches want to stress as we as a community transition from summer break into football season it’s to support the kids. Smalley says, “I think the amount of work these kids put in is not always seen and appreciated. No matter the result of the contest, show up and support them. Be proud of them and encourage them because it’s a lot of work. They sacrifice at lot to come up here during the summer, so appreciate the sacrifice these young guys have made for their community and their school because that’s who they’re representing. They’re not doing it just for themselves, appreciate the work they do to get ready so they can represent their schools to the best of their abilities come game day.” In the end, both coaches agree that the community plays a huge role in their system. Thompson says, “A big deal is our fans, our fan base and our backing. Getting in the stands for our kids is important and we’re gonna need that. That’s what the kids play for. They play for the people who support them and that’s what we have around here.”
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